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Meta’s $2B AI bet has everyone asking: What is Manus?
Dec. 30, 2025 6:43 AM ET Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Stock
By: Sinchita Mitra, SA News Editor
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Singapore-based AI startup Manus has grabbed a lot of eyeballs, especially since Meta ( META) on Monday said it will buy the firm for reportedly more than $2 billion.
Meta has been pouring resources into AI as it races to sharpen its recommendation systems, build more capable generative models, and power the next wave of immersive hardware. The buyout of Manus fits into that push.
So what exactly is Manus?
Manus was set up nine months ago in March and had started the process to move its headquarters from China to Singapore in July.
The firm was originally founded in China by Butterfly Effect Technology before relocating its headquarters.
The move to Singapore helped Manus work around the impact of U.S. curbs on Chinese AI companies.
Media reports suggested that Butterfly Effect has raised more than $10 million in capital from firms like ZhenFund, Tencent, and HongShan Capital. It also reportedly raised another $75 million in April, in a financing round that was led by Benchmark Capital, valuing the firm at ~$500 million.
The startup achieved a $125 million annual revenue run rate shortly after launching its subscription-based AI agent for tasks like research, coding, data analysis, resume screening, and stock analysis. Manus is set to continue operating from Singapore.
Manu is an AI startup that specializes in general-purpose AI agents, flexible software that can understand tasks, make decisions, and operate across many use cases.
The company pitches itself as an autonomous AI agent rather than a traditional chatbot. While ChatGPT focuses on conversational help and responds step-by-step to user prompts, Manus is built to plan tasks, pull in tools, and complete work with minimal input.
The company presents its agent as a system that can research, analyze, and produce finished outputs, from reports to websites, instead of just generating text. That framing positions Manus as an AI built to do the work, not just assist with it.
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